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Community Corner

Dog Tags, Microchips Are Life Savers

A friend spent Super Bowl Sunday looking for her pet, because the collar was not on the dog.

With the holidays here and humans running in and out of the house, it's a good time to remind everyone about keeping collars with tags on dogs and microchipping them.

Some of you are saying, “I watch my dog all the time.” Or, “my dog is well trained and won’t run.”  That’s great, but even the most well-behaved dogs have a curiosity.

Also, it may not be your dog that you have to train, but your visitors! If they do not have pets, it is likely they are not used to shutting the door quickly, watching for escaping pets, and making sure the animals are safe. 

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If you are having visitors over, it is likely that you are busy greeting your guests, and that dog can sneak right out.

I understand that some people hate the sound of the tags “jingling”; some state that the sound wakes them up at night. I personally feel there are worse things, such as never seeing your dog again. 

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I have a friend who spent Super Bowl Sunday looking for her dog, instead of watching the game, because she didn’t like leaving the collar on her dog. It was not the best way to spend a day that she had planned for fun.

Most people do not understand that a microchip is inexpensive. It is around $25!  I would much rather spend $25 for the security of a microchip, than on a vet visit due to injury or illness.

Lately the rescue organization where I work has been more of a lost and found for dogs than a place to adopt rescued animals. These dogs do not have tags nor do they have microchips.

For those of you who do not like the “jingling” sound of the tags, there are personalized collars that have the name of the dog with your phone number right on the collar itself. There are also plastic guards that go around the tag so it does not make noise.

For those of you with an escape artist – and I know there are some out there! – there is a new collar that tracks your dogs’ movements.  If the dog goes out of your yard, then you get a text message sent to your phone to alert you. You can find this collar at http://www.pettracker.com/.

Just remember, our pets are out loved ones who depend on us to keep them out of harm's way. Like children, they do not always make the right decision, which is why we should protect them.  

Hope you and your pet have a safe and drama-free holiday!

For microchipping services, see the Bloomingdale-Riverview Patch directory.

 

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